


Motion

by badomens444



Series: Displaced [2]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: M/M, Universe Alteration, World Switching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-02
Updated: 2013-12-02
Packaged: 2018-01-03 06:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1067234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badomens444/pseuds/badomens444
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuri was chaos and energy. He never stopped moving. It hadn't taken Flynn a week to realize that.<br/>Direct follow up to 'Displacement'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Motion

Author's Notes: Sorry the upload on these has been slow, but there's more coming soon!  
Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco Bandai.

\-------------------------------------- 

Motion

Yuri was chaos and energy. He never stopped moving. It hadn't taken Flynn a week to realize that. It hardly took two days. He could barely get him to hold still for anything, save a meal every now and then. Estellise was having far better luck.

Flynn woke this particular morning to Yuri crouching on his window sill, staring at him in a way that was wholly unnerving, wearing a smile so big and cocky that it was disturbing.

"If you have so much energy first thing in the morning, perhaps you should start running laps with the recruits."

"Why make the greenhorns look bad?"

It was getting hard for Flynn to remain patient with the young man, in spite of his predicament. Almost every little thing he did was grating. That smirk was full of the stubbornness and impetuousness that he had quickly come to expect from Yuri. Flynn did his best to bite his tongue and be the better man, but that was growing old very fast. He had never met anyone who caused his temper to flare quite the way Yuri did.

Yuri seemed to have settled into life in the palace pretty easily after his first rather rough night. Any sadness that he may have exhibited faded, and he seemed generally cheerful and curious. Since it was difficult to keep a leash on him, Flynn often found, always to his dismay, that Yuri had taken to scaling the palace walls, or that he and Repede were racing along the main paths of the garden, startling maids and guards alike.

Flynn had been meaning to do a lot of things about Yuri. He wanted to teach him how to fight, at least the basics of sword fighting so that he could defend himself. He wanted to find out how Yuri had gotten to Terca Lumireis and how they were going to get him back. But finding time to do those things was increasingly difficult. Being the Commandant in a nation that was currently without a ruler on the throne made his job that much harder. He was having to deal with all of the on going peace negotiations between the guilds and the Empire, as well as the training of the knights and troop reassignments and dozens of other tasks. The Imperial Council wasn't doing much to make his job easier.

"So what's for breakfast?" Yuri hopped out of the window and plopped on the couch in Flynn's state room.

"Put on some proper clothing and we'll head down to the dining hall and join Lady Estellise."

He picked at the tattered hem of his black shirt, the one he had been wearing since the day he arrived in Zaphias, and cocked an eyebrow at Flynn. "What the hell am I supposed to wear? All I have in the clothing on my back."

Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose. That was one more thing to add to the list of things he had to do today. In all the chaos that Yuri brought in his wake, Flynn hardly remembered that the man had come here with nothing and it was Flynn's responsibility to provide for him. "Fine. I'll lend you something but you have to promise not to destroy it with your usual shenanigans."

"What? Don't you trust me?"

He wanted to say that he didn't particularly, but he kept his mouth shut and moved to his armoire. Upon opening the door, he remembered that he sadly had very little left in the way of civilian clothing since the mainstay of his wardrobe was his uniform and the plain black shirt and white pants that he wore underneath of it. Flynn pulled out a pair of simple black pants to replace Yuri's now shredded jeans, and a white shirt with a lace up front that he had worn before he became Commandant. These clothes were a little dusty, but they would do until they could find something a little more suited to Yuri's unique sense of style and daily activities. As far as he knew, mages had yet to invent indestructible fabric.

"Here. Go put these on and we'll go get breakfast." He handed the clothing off and Yuri left to get dressed.

He returned only a moment later, his old clothing throne haphazardly onto his bed. Flynn wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now, so they went straight down to breakfast. A brief, brisk walk took them down a few floors and into the section of the dining hall that was roped off for the royal family, the Commandant, and the Imperial Council. Estellise was already there, awaiting her breakfast when they arrived.

"Good morning, Flynn, Yuri." She smiled and added a little honey to her tea.

"Morning," Yuri grumbled, fussing with the cuffs of the shirt Flynn had lent him.

"Good morning, Lady Estellise." Flynn resisted the urge to smack Yuri in the back of the head for behaving like a child. He probably needed a little more time to adjust to his new and strange surroundings and Flynn couldn't hold that against him.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" she asked. 

"I have a meeting with the Imperial Council after breakfast and then I'm going to look over the training of the newest recruits. This afternoon, I plan to head down to the Lower Quarter and check on the distribution of winter supplies."

"And what about you, Yuri?"

"I dunno."

Was it too much to ask for Yuri to sit up straight? For him to stop fidgeting? To speak to Estellise as befitted her class? 

"We do have to go down the Public Quarter and get Yuri some proper clothing. His won't last much longer," Flynn added.

Yuri's eyes lit up a little. Flynn had been rather strict about Yuri not leaving the palace, so he hadn't been able to explore beyond the gardens. "Good. I can't stay cooped up in this place all the time. I'll go crazy from boredom."

It was a little unfair that Flynn had restricted his movements so far. It was more a matter of being worried for Yuri than for the fear of him causing trouble, although that lingered there too. The way Yuri had spoken, there were no monsters in his world, so he likely knew very little about fighting save what he was able to do to a few of the city guards. Terca Lumireis was far different from the world he had come from. This was for his own safety, and for everyone else's too.

"Would it be all right if I came along?" Estellise asked. "I'd love a chance to show Yuri around Zaphias."

"Of course you may, Lady Estellise."

Any further conversation was cut off by the palace waitstaff arriving with trays of food for their breakfast. Plates of honeyed scones with clotted cream, slabs of smoked salmon, poached eggs on buttered and herbed toast, and fresh fruit and cheese were deftly placed before them, along with a carafe of fresh orange juice, and cups of hot, smoky black tea for the three of them.

All manners aside, Yuri dug in. His appetite hadn't changed since the first meal Flynn had watched him devour. Estellise didn't seem to mind how uncouth Yuri had proven to be, instead smiling and taking it in stride, so Flynn found himself in no position to complain. He was hungry as well, just better at the task of eating properly at a table like a civilized human being.

It was only a few minutes before breakfast was gone and their bellies filled. Without complaint, he left Yuri in Estellise's care, and moved on to his morning meeting with the Council and Ioder. The business was all the same as usual, nothing new and nothing particularly interesting, but every detail important. They still had a long winter coming, and Flynn felt the Lower Quarter was still ill equipped for it. The Council largely found this less important than he did, but that was likely because most of them were nobles who had never wanted for anything in their lives.

After the meeting, he popped back into his office for some paperwork. His second in command, Sodia, who, while he was on the job he was rarely without, was waiting there for him and they headed down to the training grounds. They passed the quarters of the royal family, and laughter drew his attention to the open door of Estellise's drawing room.

She and Yuri were inside, seated at her desk with books cast out in front of them. As their laughter calmed, he couldn't hear them any further, but from the glance he got of what they were doing, it looked like she was teaching him something. Perhaps reading, based on the size of the lettering in some of the books she had out. If his stay in Terca Lumireis would be extended, it would be essential for him. Flynn was frankly a little embarrassed that he hadn't thought of it first. He did not interrupt the lesson, though, and continued on about his daily duties.

Overlooking the progress of the Knights was a favorite duty of his. He liked to see how far they were coming from the half-trained group left over by the last Commandant. Alexei had his elite royal guard, but many of the regular infantry knights went almost completely without proper battle training the few years before Flynn took his place. He disliked it, but he supposed that he could attribute that to Alexei's loss of sanity after the Great War.

The Knights practiced and sparred and marched in steps and maneuvers to show how exact their control had become. They were improving every day and any small step that they made to becoming better servants of the Empire was worth all the effort that Flynn put into it.

He sparred with them occasionally, but not today. Many of the young, raw recruits were nowhere near his own strength, and he felt like defeating them too early would bruise their egos and discourage them, rather than to encourage them to improve. And he wanted nothing more than to encourage them.

After heading back up to his quarters after that task was completed from his daily to do list, he washed up and met Yuri, Repede, and Estellise.

Somehow, she had been able to make him hold still long enough to not get into any trouble and as they walked the streets toward the Lower Quarter for Flynn to take care of his job first, the two of them practiced reading streets signs. It was a practical use of the teaching she had been doing. As Flynn listened in, he found that Yuri must have been a fast learner.

"And what about that sign?"

"Item shop Fortune's Market."

"You've picked up the language very quickly, Yuri. I'm very impressed."

"Eh, it's only because you're a good teacher."

"Ho there, Commandant!" Hanks drew his attention as they entered the Lower Quarter and waved him over.

"Hanks, you know that just 'Flynn' is fine. After all, you watched me grow up. It's strange for you to not call me by my name." Flynn shook the old man's hand.

"I'll call ya what I want to call ya. Respect where it's due." He joked, but it was still strange for Flynn even after these few months when the people he grew up around called him not by his name, but by his title. "Ah, I see ya brought Miss Estelle with you, and that young trouble maker."

"Yes. Hanks, this is Yuri. Yuri, this is Hanks. He's something like the official here in the Lower Quarter."

"Hey there. So you've known Flynn most of his life?" Yuri seemed to have no problem using his first name as freely as he liked.

"Sure have."

"Has he always been such a stiff?"

Hanks had a good, hearty laugh out of that one, and they were left waiting while he was breathlessly doubled over. "Flynn here's a good kid, but he used to be a bit of a trouble maker."

"Is that so?" Yuri turned his vision to Flynn, eyebrows flicking up in a mischievous way.

Flynn cleared his throat, intent on changing the subject and getting down to business before that conversation could be taken any further. "So, Hanks. I came to speak with you about the Lower Quarter's preparations for winter."

"Ah yes. Why don't we head over to the tavern?"

"Lady Estellise, would you, Yuri, and Repede mind waiting out here? I won't be long."

"That's fine, right, Yuri? I can show you around a little."

"Sure, why not?"

Satisfied that Yuri would at least be kept occupied for a little bit, Flynn left the three of them in the main square and followed Hanks to the local fixture, the Comet, where the people of the Lower Quarter spent many nights.

Flynn loved this place, the smell of food cooking, the creak and sag of the wooden chairs when he sat, the warm and pleasant chatter from the locals about their day-to-day lives. Living in the palace was nice, it was luxurious, but it didn't have what the Lower Quarter had: the liveliness and the memories, the warmth and the friendliness. Maybe it was nostalgia nagging at him. He could visit any time he wanted. Surely, the home that he had lived in with his father was still uninhabited. It had been abandoned many years ago. But his home now was in the palace, in the tiers of the city high above these wretched slums. But that being the case didn't stop him from savoring each passing interaction and letting himself relive every little memory that he could. Now that he had the power to change things, to make the Empire a better place for all its citizens, he was going to work to improve conditions.

Over some tea, he and Hanks got down to business. The state of many homes here was poor after being ravaged by aer and monsters, and the harshness of an Illyccian winter was only going to make matters worse. If foundations weren't crumbling, walls were under attack by colonies of termites, and other pest creatures ran rampant through food stores and warehouses. Just a few months without a barrier blastia had proven detrimental. But that was the choice everyone had made for the good of the world.

"I will speak with the Council again. If I could have your assistance, perhaps we could convince them together of the importance of the issues our citizens face here. Thankfully, Rita has a solution to the problem of keeping the homes heated. But there will still be illness and risk of monster attacks. With a little effort on everyone's part, we can keep the Lower Quarter safe through the winter."

"Ya know how much we appreciate your help, lad, but don't go trying to shoulder everything yourself."

"Don't worry," Flynn said that, but he knew that Hanks would anyway. 

"Looks like you've got your hands pretty full with that one." Hanks motioned with one thumb out the window to the main square. There, Yuri and Repede seemed to be playing a game of tag with a few of the local children, including Ted, the son of the woman who owned the Comet. Estellise watched from the sidelines, cheering them on.

"He is a huge pain. I can't get him to hold still for anything except a meal. He won't listen to anything I say. I don't even know what do to with him," Flynn sighed, sagging onto his elbows against the table.

"Where's he from? He didn't seem to be from 'round here."

"Some place he called 'Earth'. I haven't been able to get much more out of him."

Silence stretched out between them for a moment while Hanks watched Yuri and the children running around outside. "Lad's probably having a hard time of it. It's gotta be tough being in a place where you don't know anyone or anything."

"If that's the case, he's pretty good at hiding it."

"Not everyone's strength is in bein' honest. Some people just work best when they hold everything inside."

Flynn turned his eyes to watch the game of tag going on beyond the window. Yuri seemed to be having a good time, but had he really shaken off everything that he had to have been feeling when they first met? Was that sadness that he had to be feeling really gone after such a short time?

"Thanks for your help, Hanks." Flynn stood, dropping enough money to cover their tea on the table. "Please, come see me immediately if you need anything."

"Don't worry yourself so much over us down here. We've survived many a winter before this one. A little snow won't put us out of commission."

He tried to smile at that, but it was weak at best. 

Flynn left the tavern behind, and went to round up Yuri, Repede, and Estellise. The children had about worn themselves out, but Yuri seemed to still be brimming with energy.

"Hey, Flynn, this new friend of yours is really cool!" Ted said, tucking his hand behind his head. "I mean, not as cool as you, but still pretty cool."

Yuri grinned, not his usual smirk, but something happier, and set another boy that he had been juggling in his arms on the ground. He pulled a third off of Repede's back where he had been trying to ride to dog like a horse to no avail.

"Can you come back to play again soon, Yuri?"

"Well, if Commandant Tighta--"

Flynn very quickly cut Yuri off from swearing and embarrassing him in front of young and impressionable children. "Maybe Yuri will be able to come back soon." 

"That's great!" Ted smiled. "See you later!"

The three boys jogged off out of the main square to greater adventures, leaving Flynn to try and get Yuri moving back to the Public Quarter. Luckily, he had Repede and Estellise's help. With his energy still seemingly boundless, Yuri raced Repede up the wood ramp toward the afternoon market and Flynn and Estellise followed in tow.

\-------------------------------------- 

Shopping for clothing with Yuri had been as much an adventure as everything else involving him was proving to be. It thankfully hadn't taken him long to pick out a few sets of sensible, although mostly dark, clothing that would meet his 'running, jumping, climbing trees' lifestyle. Hopefully they would hold up so that Flynn wouldn't have to be bothered with another shopping trip like this in the nearby future.

After dinner, Yuri and Repede settled in to the quarters adjacent to Flynn's. He could overhear Yuri talking, presumably to the dog and about what, Flynn couldn't tell through the walls, but he was left wandering back to what Hanks had told him. What if he wasn't taking so easily to a sudden and violent shift in his reality, and merely putting up a brave front? It wasn't impossible. In fact, the more Flynn watched him, every little move and shift of facial expression betrayed that. Even if he didn't say it, even if he tried to hide it, Yuri was having a rough time of this.

Flynn sat up for a long time, dithering about his paperwork from the day, reports and reassignments, official proclamations and internal memos, until he heard Yuri pad away from the balcony where he seemed to spend a lot of time stargazing, and into an adjoining room. He didn't seem like he was so interested in making a break for it anymore.

He placed his quill pen back in its gilded holder on his desk, and dropped the completed stack of documents in the right drawer of his desk, where he could review them once more in the morning before having Sodia get them where they needed to go. The rest would wait for tomorrow before breakfast and his morning meeting with the Imperial Council. Right now, he had something else that he wanted to do.

Leaving his quarters behind, Flynn took to the empty, quiet palace halls. As he moved to a lower story of rooms, he passed the Royal Guard, who saluted him, but did not question why he was out so late. He wasn't the only one though, and he was thankful for that. 

The library was like a second home to Estellise, and this particular evening was no different. She was there, books splayed out across the polished oak table and an ice cold cup of tea in one hand. She flipped a page, and then another, so completely absorbed in the pages of whatever she was reading that the whole rest of the world could just pass her by. More than once, he found her still awake after a night of reading, eyes red from lack of sleep and lack of blinking, but she never had the slightest complaint. Knowledge was power for Estellise, and most of what she knew, came from these books.

He waited for her to notice him standing in the doorway, but after a moment of her not batting an eye at him, he knocked softly on the doorframe. Startled, she fumbled her teacup, catching it carefully before it could spill on any of the precious books.

"Oh, Flynn! I didn't see you there."

"I'm sorry to bother you, Lady Estellise."

"No bother at all. Did you need something?"

"Yes, actually." He stepped in, pulling the door mostly closed behind him. "I came to ask you about a particular book."

She was a little surprised, but he wasn't sure why. He liked to read, he just rarely had the time to do so. "What book did you want to ask me about?"

"I wanted to know if you still had the book about 'Earth'."

"Oh, _that_ book." She smiled and hopped out of her seat. Striding to the bookshelf, she let her fingers wander lovingly across the spines of the tomes there as she perused them. After a few seconds, she pulled out a rather large, dusty, old book. Its leather cover was damaged from ill use and its pages yellowed with age. "Here we are. I'm afraid that I don't know what it's called. The cover and spine are too damaged to read."

He took the book gingerly from her hands and flipped it open. The words were still legible and the binding seemed to still be strong, but this was a heavy tome filled with weighty words. Even if its condition was good inside, there was no guarantee that Flynn would be able to read and comprehend the words it held.

"Thank you, Lady Estellise."

"I think that this might be our first step toward helping Yuri. Finding out where he's from and what it's like there."

"Yes."

And it was going to be a massive first step.


End file.
